Treachery, murder and magical mayhem abound in Student Performing Artists’ production of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” opening on Thursday, October 23, just in time for Halloween. From witches and vengeful ghosts to murder plots and live swordplay, “Macbeth” seems like a perfect show for the Halloween season.
It is rumored that “Macbeth” has a longstanding curse associated with it, and the trail of headless bodies that past productions have left in their wake has certainly contributed to that belief. Student Director Michael Thomas Toth and his cast, however, have suffered no ill effects as yet and are still in possession of all of their limbs.
Toth has studied abroad in England and had a love of Shakespeare for most of his life. Some might raise an eyebrow about a student director taking on Shakespeare, but Toth seems relaxed and confident about the idea. “No one expressed a concern when I proposed it, and I didn’t really stop to think about it myself,” Toth said. “After all, college is a time to reach and expand toward challenges, not run away from them.”
Despite the challenges of performing a Shakespeare play, everything seems to be moving along smoothly. “At first there was a sense of anxiety with taking on a text that is associated with genius on every level,” Toth said. At this point, however, Toth feels that all the actors have fully incorporated the language of the play and are running with it. He is quite satisfied with the way things are turning out. “I think that Shakespeare is great for younger actors to work with. The language itself represents a psychological depth, and requires concentration.”
Toth admitted that Halloween wasn’t even in his thoughts when he first proposed the production for October. His reason for choosing “Macbeth” was entirely different: he felt that the issues represented by the play ring especially true right now for American audiences.
“The play is essentially about a man who, through deceit and murder, steals power, and then finds himself completely incapable of running the nation that he has taken hold of,” he explained. “The rest of the play is about watching the deterioration that follows, both of the man himself, and of his country.”
Toth said that one of the central issues in the play is the matter of taking responsibility for one’s actions. Is it fate or free will that steers the essentially good character of Macbeth to murder and treachery? What part does the environment play, and what should a person be accountable for? This semester’s production will explore all of these issues and more. Student Performing Artists (SPA for short) is a group of theater enthusiasts who present one major play each semester.
SPA’s presentation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth will play in the “black box” experimental theatre in Russell Hall. The show runs Thursday, October 23 through Sunday, October 26. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at 5 p.m. Tickets are $5. Call the theatre box office at 780- 5151.
Elias A. Bresnick may be contacted at [email protected]